LANDIS COPS GET M-16S

LANDIS - If all goes well, residents here may never see the police
department's newest tool.

Police now have the latest model of the M-16 rifle, the standard military
issue weapon which can fire hundreds of rounds per minute.

Police Chief Charlie Childers got nine of the automatic weapons through a
federal-state grant program.

"We're not going to be outgunned," said Childers on Wednesday.

Why does a small town police department with an almost non-existent crime
rate need M-16s?

"It's a worst-case scenario," said Childers.

It will give police adequate firepower in case of a tangle with drug
dealers or perhaps some type of hostage situation, he explained.

"You're not going to see them at traffic stops," quipped Childers who is
already working on a very strict policy to govern the use of the new guns.

Since becoming chief last year, Childers is working to upgrade equipment
from guns and uniforms to computers. He is also working to make sure all
officers have the same equipment and are trained to use it.

For example, he notes that currently not all officers have shotguns.

Sgt. Gary Phillips, the department's firearms officer, is the in-house
expert on M-16s, from his days in the military.

Phillips gives the M-16 high marks for accuracy and dependability.

Phillips will conduct two days of training in early February for all Landis
officers. Each officer will have to qualify at the Rowan Peace OfficersClub
firing range.

Each of the nine officers will be assigned a weapon, once they pass muster.

The M-16s will be mounted inside the patrol car for easy access, but will
be locked in place.

The guns cost $800 each, and are equipped with a 30-round magazine. The
.223 bullets are almost identical to a standard .22 caliber round,
according to Phillips.

The department also recently received laptops to be installed in the patrol
cars.

The department is seeking additional state and federal monies to upgrade
the computers in the police department.